Brainstorming, envisioning, and refining a vision is one of the most important things you can do for your business. I quote Michael Gerber nearly every time I talk about the concept of a vision.

In his book E-Myth (it’s a great book about small business failure and success), Michael asks of the reader, “with no clear picture of how you wish your life to be, how on earth can you begin to live it?”

This was a game-changer for me. Duh, right?

OF COURSE you need to know your destination if you’re planning to go somewhere. Even Google Maps wants to you generally know your location before giving you directions.

You may luck up and stumble across a location, but doesn’t it make sense to have thought it through a little bit? Perhaps you’ll end up with less bumps & bruises a long the way. You’ll definitely get lost fewer times.

Earlier in my professional life, I felt a bit like a ship without a sail. I was drifting along in someone else’s version of a successful life and I was miserable. It was quite disorienting, and I wasn’t really sure what to do about any of it.

I had never really had a plan, just a vague idea of what seemed like a good idea for a person with a background like mine. This. didn’t. work. at. all.

I had to remove myself from that situation and get serious about what I wanted in my life. It took quite a bit of time, and I definitely made numerous mistakes along the way. But, once I got a clear vision, it was like the heavens opened up.

Natalie Bacon sums up perfectly why vision is so powerful in her article, “Why You Need to Create Visions:”

Vision is your why. Vision gives something direction. It’s your desired future. Your vision includes what you believe in (your core values) and what you want in your future (what you want to be). It’s the powerful reason why you want to do something; your overarching purpose. Your vision is your passion and keeps you excited and motivated. It’s what inspires you to do whatever it is you want to do.

Natalie Bacon, Why You Need to Create Visions (Not Just Goals)

I believe so strongly in the power of vision that I do a visioning exercise every few years. It helps me get focused on what I’d like to accomplish and it gives me clear direction on when I must say “no” to opportunities.

My sanity actually depends on this.

With this vision exercise, I ask myself and answer three simple questions — (1) where do I want to go? (2) where am I now? (3) how I get from here (where I am now) to there (where I want to go)?

If you’re interested in learning more about these three principles, check out the vision exercises I’ve created here.

One you have the opportunity to think about and refine your vision for your brand and business, I’d love to hear from you in the comments section.

In particular, were you comfortable creating a plan for your brand and business? Did you feel like you didn’t have permission to consider some things because of time, money, or family?

Please give as much information as you can! I’d be happy to share more tools and resources that help you get what you want. And, I know the other folks reading this can learn from your experiences! We are all in this together.

I always say that I’m on a mission to build a nation of women with dynamic personal brands and successful businesses. We can learn from each other on this journey, which is why we need a nation!

I hope we remain connected both here and within the LVRG Nation–a private community of women committed to building for themselves and supporting each other.

Thank you so much for joining me on this roller coaster of an experience! I am eternally grateful that I get to do this work with wonderful people each day.

Let’s make it happen,